Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-10
ALITTLE ROMANCE.
By the Governor,
H. S. WALKER,
Secretary of State.

A Young Man Crossed In Love Attempts In
aCool Manner to Take His Life.
A very romantic tale of unrequited love,
followed by the conventional suicide, is
waited up from New Martinsville, but for
tunately the suicide part did not entirely
succeed. AS the story goes, young man
named Leslie ]. Williams, OF the firm OF
Blair & Williams, merchants, has for year
or so been paying devoted attentions to
certain handsome young belle of New Mar
tinsville, and people had come to look upon
their marriage as a settled fact. But it was
not to be so. He must have received an
unfayorable answer from his sweetheart
previous to Sunday, because on the after
noon of that day he dropped in at Richard
sons drug store, which is across the street
from his place of business. In an uncon-
cerned manner he questioned Mr.. Richard
son as to how much morphine it
would take to kill man. The clerk took
the morphine bottle and poured portion
out into the palm of his hand. After
showing Williams the dose, he re-
turned the drug to the jar and sat il back
into its place. That evening Williams
called upon the young lady again and made
another appeal, hut without effect, and he
told her he would kill himself She paid
no attention to the threat, however, eE-
cept to tell some friends what Williams
had said.
On Monday afternoon Williams went
across 10 the drug store while Mr.. Richard.
son was out and asked young Harry Rich
ardson, the clerk, if he would not run
down to the post office on an errand for
him and he would keep store, which
the young man, unsuspiciOus OF
anything wrong, did. Presently the
proprietor came in but noticed nothing
unusual, but from remark Williams let
drop his suspicious were aroused, and they
were more 50 when he went home that
evening and learned Of the threat Williams
had made to his inamOrata, whose family
resided next door to him.
When he went down street after supper
he went to Mr.. Blair, Williams partner,
and informed him Of his suspicious,
and found that Williams had already
retired, something unusual for him to do
at 80 early an hour. Both being single
men, Mr.. Blair and his partner occupied n
room over the store, and the former during
the course of the next hour or 40 made
three trips up stairs to ascertain if there
was any thing suspicious about Williams 'ac-
tions. TIE third time he went up Will
liams asked him why he did not let him
alone, but told him to put out the lights
and when he came TO bed to awaken him
if he wasn't dead. This convinced Mr..
Blair that something was wrong, but be
went below stairs and in a short time re-
turned, when he found WILLIAMS under
the influence of the powerful drug.
Medical assistance was Immediately
summoned and the unhappy young man
was labored with until four o'clock Tues
day morning, whenlhis life was saved, a. =
though he had a very narrow call. His
father, who is a farmer residing several
miles below town was sent for, but he
could do nothing with his son, who says
he has nothing to live for and is deter
mined TO die. He is worthy, upright
young man, possessing no vices, and we'll
respected by the community, aud his
strange determination to die is deeply re-
gretted by his many friends. The very
cool and calculating manner in which he
went about securing the poison to take his
life is rather remarkable, ..and had it not
been for several unguarded remarks he
made, he would no doubt have succeeded
in his resolve. Whether he will carry ont
his threat or not is a matter of much CON
Germ to his friends, who hope he may get
over his infatuation for the young lady,
and change his mind.